We’ve been seeing Teslas extirpate internal combustion-engined for the longest time. With the Model S Plaid, it has gotten as brutal as it can get. EVs have surely set the bar high and cars sprinting from 0 to 60 mph in over six seconds are considered slow, but that doesn’t necessarily mean all EVs are performance machines. The Audi e-Tron Sportback, is one of them. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not slow by any means, but it’s not quick like most of the Teslas either.

So, to have a fairly competitive race, the folks at Carwow pit the Audi e-Tron Sportback 55 against an Audi Q7 V-12 for a series of drag and rolling races. Can a mighty V-12 beat two electric motors?

How Do The Q7 And The E-Tron Weigh Up Against Each Other?

The Audi Q7 here is powered by a massive 6.0-liter, V-12 diesel engine that cranks 500 horses and 738 pound-feet of torque. Power is sent to all the wheels via a six-speed automatic gearbox.

The Audi e-Tron Sportback, on the other hand, features two motors – one on each axle – that power all four wheels. They make 405 ponies and 490 pound-feet of twist combined.

Courtesy of twelve cylinders and a pretty large body, the Q7 is heavier than the e-Tron. It weighs 5,809 pounds, which makes it 419 pounds heavier than the 5,390-pound e-Tron.

Not As Close As You Would Have Expected

In the first drag race, the e-Tron didn’t have the best of starts, and this allowed the Q7 to beat it comprehensively. In the next two races, the e-Tron got good starts and that tilted the results in its favor. The Q7 couldn’t catch up in either of the races, thus giving the e-Tron a 2-1 lead.

Next was a rolling race in the comfort/efficient setting. The e-Tron’s instantaneous torque allowed it to have a much better kickdown than the Q7 with the old gearbox. However, by the time the car touched 120 mph, the Q7 caught up and went past it to win the race. The second rolling race was with both the vehicles in Dynamic/Sporty setting, but the result was exactly the same. The scoreboard now stands at 2-3 with the Q7 leading.

The final round was the brake test and this was the closest one of the lot. They braked from 70 mph and the e-Tron won by a rather narrow margin to draw out the series 3-3.

Watch the video below and share your thoughts with us in the comments section.